Remember Me?
by Kha0tiic
Summary: (Rated T for some language) Waking up one morning, Helga Pataki is shocked to find out that absolutely no one remembers her. Not even Arnold.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

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><p>I never knew that life could be so complicated.<br>I'm not talking about "teenage angst".  
>I'm not talking about the things that everyone complains about.<p>

I'm talking about the fact that no one remembers me.  
>Me.<br>Who could forget _me_?  
>I'm freaking Helga G. Pataki.<p>

Normally, if you'd have forgotten me, I would've thought you'd been hit upside the head with a shovel or something.

My parents remember me, I guess. They barely knew I was there before.

But what freaks me out is that _no one else _remembers me.

Not even Phoebe.

..._not_ _even Arnold_.

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:<br>**_**_I do not own Hey Arnold, or any of the characters mentioned.  
>Hey Arnold belongs to Craig Bartlett.<em>**

**_No copyright infringement intended._**


	2. Chapter 1

***BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!***

Helga Pataki rolled over in her bed to punch her alarm clock to stop the wake up call. The alarm clock buzzed and the beeping faded.  
>Peeking at the time with droopy, crusty eyes, she about gagged at the fact that it was 6:00am.<p>

"Why..." She groaned, pulling the covers over her head.

Helga had one more month left of her senior year in high school, and she was ecstatic to be able to finally leave that place. What she was irritated the most about is that the last month of school was going extremely slow, and each day seemed like it just kept dragging on and on.

Today, she had math and history tests to take in order to graduate on time, and unfortunately, she had to get her grades above a B+ or she'd be taking summer school.  
>She also had to go shopping with Phoebe and Lila to get their dresses for prom next week.<p>

Today was already a terrible day.

Helga sighed and slid out of bed as slow as possible, and walked into the bathroom down the hall from her bedroom. She turned on the light, which had about blinded her.

"AAAHHH!" Helga cried, rubbing her eyes. "I HATE MORNINGS!" She yelled.

"Olga, quiet down up there!" Bob yelled from the living room. "Your mother has a hang-over!"  
>"<strong>MY NAME'S HELGA!<strong>" Helga screamed, slamming the bathroom door. She growled.  
><em>Is he EVER going to get my name right?!<em>

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><p>Two hours later, Helga ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where Miriam was collapsed on the table with a vodka bottle in her hand. Of course it was empty. Her mother was still wearing the clothes from yesterday, as well as the makeup, which had melted all over her face.<p>

Helga sighed and grabbed her fuchsia book-bag off the chair next to Miriam. She itched her nose as she stared at her hung-over mother.  
><em>I swear...she's going to get alcohol poisoning one of these days. She seriously needs to go to AA.<em>

Helga smirked and ran out the door without a word to her father. She stopped at the sidewalk to dig in her book-bag for her keys to her beat up old car. It was a faded blue color, with a few dings and scratches. It was a good 15 years old, and the inside was pretty beat up as well.

Bob had gotten it on the cheap, and since he didn't want to have to drive Helga anywhere, he bought her a piece of junk car. She had begged for the older Corvette that was in the same lot, but since it was $300 more, Bob refused.

At least THAT car would have started on a daily basis.

Helga had to get up earlier every morning because it took at least a half an hour to get the heap started up and going.  
>Some mornings, she was very lucky and could get it started immediately.<p>

This was not one of those mornings.

"Dammit!" She yelled as she punched the steering wheel. "START!"  
>She turned off the car and turned it back on repeatedly. But it refused to start up.<br>"Why can't you actually BE a car?! Not a fricking paper-weight?!"

Helga was startled by a knock on her door window. She whipped her head to the left to see a familiar football headed kid.

"Hey," He said, grinning. "Need a jump?" He motioned to the hood of her car.  
>"No, I do not need a jump. This car just refuses to act like what it is. A car!" She replied.<br>"Oh. So you don't have a ride to school?"  
>"I probably have to take the bus. Why?"<br>"Well, I'm already on my way to school, so do you want to ride with me?"

Helga blushed.  
><em>Stupid Football Head. Why does he have to be so nice...<em>

Shaking it off, she thought about his question for a quick second and took off her seat-belt. She turned to him and smirked.

"Yeah. Let's get to school before we're late," Helga said, grabbing her book-bag.  
>"School doesn't start for 20 minutes," Arnold replied, opening the passenger car door for her. Helga just sat in the car and stared at Arnold.<br>"Then WHY the heck are you out already?"  
>"Bagels."<br>"Bagels?"  
>"Yeah, I get a quick breakfast once in a while, and I wanted bagels this morning. I have to run over to the store before we go to school, if that's alright."<br>"On one condition."  
>"Hmm?"<br>"You get me some freaking coffee!"  
>Arnold laughed. "Yeah, sure, Helga."<p>

10 minutes later, Arnold came walking out of the convenient store with a bag of bagels and two large coffees. Helga grinned as he handed one to her. It was piping hot, and made just the way she liked it. She smelled it and sighed.

"Thanks, Football Head," Helga said, sipping her coffee.  
>"You're welcome. Wait, did you just thank me?" Arnold replied.<br>"Yeah, and if you tell anyone, I'll deck you."

The ride to school was short. They made it there in 5 minutes, and to Helga's dismay, school was about to start, and she only had 5 minutes to finish her coffee and get her books from her locker.

"Can we PLEASE skip school today?" Helga muttered.  
>"Uh...no... I have tests, and so do you," Arnold replied, getting out of the car. "You coming?"<br>"**No.**" Helga stayed sitting in Arnold's car, still buckled up.  
>"Helga<em>.<em>" Arnold looked at her and sighed. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Helga growled and hesitated for a minute. Finally, she unbuckled her seat-belt and opened the car door. She groaned as she finished her coffee and walked up the sidewalk towards the school.

_This day is going to be hell._

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><p><strong>Author Note:<strong>

_**Sorry for the short first chapter! It's almost 4AM and I really need to not be writing fan fiction in the middle of the night.**_


	3. Chapter 2

"Helga Pataki, I'd like to see you after class," Mrs. Everson said as the lunch bell rang.

Helga's eyes widened as she tried to imagine what her history teacher had to say to her. She had finished her test and turned it in early that class, and she had thought she had done well on it.

Maybe that wasn't so.

Helga walked up to the teacher's desk and stared at the stapler, refusing to make eye contact.

"...Yes, Mrs. Everson?" She said.  
>"I have some words to say to you about your history test..." Mrs. Everson said in a monotone voice. Helga's heart was racing a mile a minute.<br>"I failed...didn't I?" Helga asked. She bit her lip.

Mrs. Everson gathered up a few papers and stapled them together, creating a very awkward silence. Helga shifted from foot to foot waiting for her to speak.

"Actually...I wanted to congratulate you," Mrs. Everson finally said.  
>Helga was taken aback. "...C-congratulate me?" She replied.<br>"Yes, Helga. You passed with an A-." She looked up and smiled.

Helga's head snapped up as the news sunk in. She began to grin. "An A-? REALLY?! Yes!"  
>"Yes, but Helga... You need to remember that enthusiasm as you take your finals in your other classes, young lady. You were very lucky to pass this class. I was worried that I'd have to keep you here this summer." Mrs. Everson said.<br>"Oh. Yes, Mrs. Everson, I'll remember! Thank you!" Helga said, grabbing her test from her teacher.

She grinned and ran out of the classroom, toward the lunchroom. Phoebe was walking through the doorway, holding hands with Gerald. Arnold was walking beside them.  
>Helga ran up to Phoebe and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.<p>

"Oh my... Helga, what are you-" Phoebe said.  
>"GUESS WHAT?!" Helga exclaimed, interrupting her.<p>

Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald stopped in their tracks.

"...Did you pass your test?" Phoebe guessed, smiling ear to ear.  
>"Yes! I don't have to re-take history this summer!"<br>"Congratulations!" Phoebe said, hugging her best friend.  
>"Okay, okay, enough of the mushiness," Helga said, pushing away from the tight hug, but she smiled at Phoebe.<p>

"Congratulations, Helga!" Arnold said, grinning. "One more test to go today, and you don't have to worry about it any more until Monday."  
>"Yeah...don't remind me about my math test. I am NOT prepared for that." Helga replied.<br>"You'll do very well, Helga. You're prepared. Remember, we've studied for hours!" Phoebe said.  
>"That doesn't mean I'm prepared."<br>"Well, good luck nonetheless," Arnold said.  
>"Can we please just go get some food?" Gerald interrupted. "I'm starving."<br>"Yeah, let's get in line before Curly takes all the pizza," Helga replied.

As they walked into the lunchroom, they realized that the line was already long. They sighed and walked to the end of it.

"So, Helga, are you excited to go dress shopping today?" Phoebe asked, grabbing a lunch tray.  
>"Hell no," Helga replied, smirking. Phoebe sighed and shook her head.<br>"...Why not? It's going to be fun!"  
>"Because I don't shop, Pheebs."<br>"You need to get outside a little more, and going to school does not count."  
>"Yes, it does."<br>"Okay, okay. But could you please just be enthusiastic about prom? It's going to be a blast, and a perfect end to our high school career!"  
>"Yeah, Helga, and the whole gang is going to the new pizzaria downtown after the dance." Arnold said. "They're supposed to have the best pizza in Hillwood."<br>"Woooo. Pizza," Helga replied, sarcastically.

Arnold and Gerald got their food and went to go find a table as the girls went to go talk to Lila about the after school plans.

When they found a table, sat down and began to open their drinks, Arnold noticed that Gerald was staring at him.

"...What?" Arnold asked, suspicious.  
>"Are you going to ask her?" Gerald asked.<br>"Excuse me?"  
>"Dude. You know what I'm asking you, you're not<em> that<em> dense."

Arnold sighed. "I don't know, Gerald. She doesn't even want to go to prom."  
>"She would if she went with you."<br>"Shut up, Gerald, she doesn't like me like that. She's just my friend..."  
>"Mhmm... Whatever you say, man. I see the way you look at her and how you act around her. You want to be more than friends."<br>"Gerald!"  
>"I'm going to prom with Phoebe, and you don't have a date. Neither does Helga. It works out perfectly. You don't want to go alone, do you?"<br>"No..."  
>"Yeah. And Helga will be going alone, too. It'd be freaking awkward, us four being together, me and Phoebe on a date and you two just...there."<br>"She doesn't even want to go!"  
>"You're just being a wimp."<br>"No I'm not..."  
>"You're scared of asking her. I get it, man. But seriously, you've been in love with that girl for like years now, and you haven't done anything about it! This is the perfect chance!"<br>"...What if she says no?"  
>"Then she says no. But you're never going to know until you actually ask her."<p>

Arnold sighed, and he looked up to see Phoebe and Helga walking toward the table. Helga was frowning (as usual) and Phoebe was smiling. They set their trays on the table and sat down.

Silence.

The four looked at each other for a few minutes as no one said anything.

"Okay, this is awkward," Gerald said.  
>"No duh," Helga replied. Gerald glared at her, and she returned the favor.<p>

"So... you guys went to go talk to Lila?" Arnold said, breaking the tension.  
>"Yeah...unfortunately," Helga replied, eating a french fry.<br>"We're leaving right after school, so you don't have to drive Helga home, Arnold," Phoebe said.  
>"Okay," Arnold replied.<br>"Yeah. RIGHT after school. In Lila's VW Beetle. PURE. TORTURE..." Helga growled.  
>"It won't be that bad. It'll be good for you," Arnold said. Helga glared at him.<br>"Have YOU ever gone dress shopping with Phoebe and Lila? NO. So you don't know how freaking annoying it is. No offense, Phoebe."  
>"None taken!" Phoebe squeaked.<br>"Whatever you say, Helga," Arnold said.

The lunch bell rang, and the four went to their classes. Arnold went to science class with Phoebe and Gerald, and Helga went to her math class. Slowly.

"You better hurry up, Helga, or you'll get a tardy note," Phoebe called to Helga.  
>"Yeah, yeah..." Helga replied.<p>

* * *

><p>After school, Helga sat on the sidewalk outside the building waiting for Phoebe and Lila. She held her math test in her hands, crumpling it up between her fists.<p>

Helga sat and growled at the pavement as she thought about the torture of summer school.  
>She sighed as she heard footsteps behind her.<p>

_Greeeeat. Time to go dress shopping._

Helga turned around, expecting Lila or Phoebe, but was surprised to see Arnold walking up to her.  
>He sat down next to her and smiled.<p>

"Hey, Helga," He said.  
>"Hi, Football Head. Why are you here?" Helga replied.<br>"Oh, uh... I wanted to hear about your..um.. your math test?"  
>"...Yeah. No."<br>"Why not?"  
>"<em>Because I failed<em>..." She whispered, hoping he wouldn't hear.  
>"You failed? Oh, I'm so sorry, Helga..."<br>"Yeah. Whatever. I told you guys that I wasn't prepared. I got a C. I was supposed to get a B or higher. But noooooo." She crumpled the test up even more and threw it in the street.

"So...summer school, huh?"  
>"For a couple of weeks, yeah. It's terrible, though. I figured I'd be free after graduation."<br>"Do you still graduate?"  
>"I get my diploma and all that crap, but it doesn't mean I'm finished."<br>"Oh."  
>"Mhm."<p>

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Arnold broke the silence.

"So..." Arnold said.  
>"What? Do you have something else to say to me, Football Head?" Helga asked.<br>"Actually, yeah... I wanted to ask you something."  
>"About what?"<br>"Well...um..."  
>"...Yes?"<br>"Okay, so...I just wanted to ask you...if you...um..."  
>"Spit it out!"<br>"Would you go to prom with me?" Arnold said, quickly, almost too quick for Helga to understand.  
>"...W-what? What did you just say to me?"<br>"Um... prom? With...me?"

Helga's eyes widened and she was lost for words. She was about to answer when Phoebe and Lila ran up to her and grabbed her.

"Shoppiiiiiing!" Lila squealed, bringing Helga to her feet, and dragging her to her car.

Phoebe got into the passenger seat and started to dig through her purse. Lila was having a hard time dragging Helga across the parking lot, because Helga wouldn't move her legs.

Arnold was still sitting on the curb, watching them. He raised his eyebrows, still needing an answer from Helga.

She bit her lip , thought for a second and then looked back to Arnold.

She smiled and nodded "yes" to him, as Lila shoved her into her car.

Arnold grinned and went to go tell Gerald the news.

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><p><strong>Author Note:<strong>

_**Aww! You guys are sweet. Thanks for the nice reviews! :D **_


	4. Chapter 3, PART 1

_**Part One of Two**_

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><p>Helga was pretty much on cloud nine as she rode to the dress shop with Phoebe and Lila.<p>

_Arnold asked me to prom... holy...shit..._

"HELGA!" Phoebe screamed.  
>Helga snapped out of her daze and shook her head.<p>

"Why the hell did you scream at me?!" Helga responded.  
>"Because I've been saying your name for the past 5 minutes, and all you have done is stare blankly at the car ceiling," Phoebe replied.<br>"Oh...um...right. What'd you need?"  
>"We're here."<br>"Great."  
>"Why are you so dazed?"<br>"Oh, uh... well, Arnold asked me to prom..."

Lila whipped her head around to grin at Helga.

"HE DID?!" She squealed.  
>"Uh, ya."<br>"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Lila squealed, again.  
>"Yeah, yeah, Lila, don't make me go deaf."<br>"Why didn't you tell us before, Helga?" Phoebe asked.  
>"Because it shocked me so much that I kind of couldn't function."<br>"Well now we need to get you a beautiful dress! Oh Helga! This is so perfect!"  
>"...Yeah...Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Helga smiled, and unbuckled her seatbelt.<p>

They got out of the car and walked into the dress shop.

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><p>Four hours later, the girls all walked out with their dresses in paper dress bags. They were all long dresses, because all the short dresses were too skanky to wear.<p>

Phoebe's dress was a pale blue silk gown. It had a slight sweetheart neckline, and it was strapless. The boddess had diamond-like jewels encrusted into it, and the bottom flowed out like flowing waves in the ocean. It fit her perfectly, and it complimented her short figure nicely.  
>She had black high heels to wear with her dress.<p>

Lila's dress was a long, yellow mermaid gown, with a thick, light-pink silk poofing out right below her knees. It had a scooped neckline, with a strap that attached at the middle and went around her neck. She bought some light-pink, sparkly, dangling earrings to go with the ensomble.  
>And she had pale-yellow heels with straps that surrounded her ankles.<p>

And Helga bought a pink and black gown, the style a mix between Phoebe's and Lila's. It was a mermaid-style pink boddess, stopping right below her waist. The bottom was a matte black silk, flowing from the boddess. It was a sweetheart neckline, with black jewels surrounding the neckline. It was also strapless. She had pink and white Converse to wear with her dress.

The girls were very tired after four hours of shopping, and Helga couldn't wait to get home to write in her books, listen to music, and dream about prom.

It was going to be the best night of her life.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR NOTE:<strong>

_**Oh my goodness...I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to go so long without updating the story. I caught a nasty cold and I have not been up to writing. Finally, I got some motivation and wrote something. **_

_**This chapter was number 3, but it's part 1 of 2.**_

_**I didn't want to give you such a short chapter...so I split it into two, and the next one will be Arnold's POV.**_

_**AND YES, THE BAD PART OF THE STORY (waking up where no one knows who she is) IS CHAPTER 5.**_

_**THIS WILL BE AT LEAST 12-15 CHAPTERS, MAYBE MORE. I HAVE THE WHOLE STORY OUTLINED, SO DON'T FRET, IT'LL BE FINISHED AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS'LL LIKE IT! **_

_**THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT WITH ME.**_

_**-kha0tiic**_


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